March 30, 2011

there are just way too many things that i want right now. this is not good. especially since i'm supposed to be saving money for my study abroad. eek. i am getting a tax return here in the near future... so we'll see :)

top- left to right
1. super cute canvas mary-jane flats from UO. ah, don't they look comfy?
2. PUBLIC bike. these bikes are amazing. i need one.
3. a new ipod. i have the very first video ipod. let's just say it's about to give up the ghost.
4. a nice watch. like this michael kohrs watch from nordstrom. drool.bottom- left to right
5. a europe friendly camera bag. one i can stash my DSLR, snacks, and other various purse things.
6. these adorable burlap toms.
7. photoshop. and maybe some photoshop help books.

i hate having the mentality of i want, i want, i want. i sense trouble in my financial future. watch out, bank account.

March 29, 2011

recently, a young girl in my home ward has fallen ill, and no doctor seems to know what is happening. please read the following email from her father, and beware of the risks of gardasil.

"Dear Family and Friends:First, a brief history of where we have been.

[Our daughter] has always been happy, motivated, organized and energetic. She has consistently been a top student and the most social, interactive child we have raised. Her piano, singing and acting were really starting to be the main focus of her life and brought her much joy and praise from everyone. One of her great moments was (as a 7th grader and just as she was starting to feel ill) arranging an audition for the 9th grade jazz band. Playing and singing "Brown Eyes" (Lady Gaga) instantly landed her the singer/piano position. We were all thrilled and excited for this and future possibilities.

Unfortunately, [she] has been on a slow, downward path beginning at the end of 2009. She began feeling extremely tired, dizzy and nauseous, which gradually progressed to outright weakness, uncontrollable bowels, hair loss, sore joints, itching, swelling, and many other strange symptoms. She struggled to finish 7th grade in the Spring of 2010 but pushed onward, even successfully completing advanced-placement tests to skip 8th grade. However, during that summer she continued to weaken and suffered from constant exhaustion and a variety of puzzling ailments. By the time 9th grade started in the Fall of 2010, she made every effort to attend part-time classes and practice with the jazz band, but it soon became apparent that she would have to drop out of school and give up music and the band. She has now missed her entire 9th grade year which has been devastating to all of us.

She has seen every type of specialist: GI, ENT, OB, Endocrine, Immunology, Rheumatology, Allergy, Cardiology, etc, and has had every blood test, MRI, ultrasound, CT-scan, x-ray, endoscopy, colonoscopy, etc, that they can come up with. We have spent thousands of dollars and hours with no diagnosis or course of treatment. Medications just make her more sick. We have tried every type of diet. Now Michele makes every meal from scratch, carefully watching every ingredient, but she still fades.

A few months ago [our daughter] began having anxiety attacks where we observed whimpering/crying, hand flailing, hyperventilation, complete pupillary dilation (even in daylight) and short periods of complete unresponsiveness. These frightening actions reminded us of her sister [with autism] violent/debilitating seizures and neurological degeneration that started a few years ago. Her sister completely lost the ability to walk, chew, go to the bathroom, use her hands, etc, when previously she used her fine-motor skills to create intricate drawings and detailed Play-doh sculptures of her favorite Disney characters. She was very active and loved to run around, climb and swim. She was also an expert at using the computer even though she always suffered from mental retardation, lack of speech and severe autism. To this day, [she] has only partially recovered and still attends the Dan Peterson School for the severely handicapped instead of the normal special-education program where she was before. We still have to feed her bite by bite and do all personal-care functions for her.

Even more recently, [our daughter] has displayed progressive muscle degeneration where she cannot hold her head up without a brace, cannot walk without assistance, has a very difficult time breathing, and is basically bed-ridden. We plan to get her a wheelchair or a big jogging stroller to help her get around. There are times when we think she may need a ventilator. This progressive muscle weakness is particularly troubling and debilitating. It led us to once again review conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis, Dermatomyositis, Guillain Barre, and many, many others. That's all we do is study and research and worry. Every physician just sends us out the door without answers. It's like a compounding nightmare after going through similar with her sister a few years ago.

Since [her] recent symptoms most closely mimic ALS, researching that led me to a shocking and frightening possibility: our daughters were possibly injured by an aggressive and under-tested vaccine, Gardasil, only available since 2006 to prevent cervical cancer in young women. It is commonly recommended by physicians as a routine school vaccine for girls. Our daughters had this vaccine at the pediatrician's office when it was brand new in 2007/2008.

Now, before anyone accuses me of being some anti-vaccine nut, let me remind you of how much we have been through with [our autistic daughter]. When she was first known to be autistic, I read everything ever written on the condition. By nature and education, as well as the trial-by-fire experiences we have traversed, I am a thorough and well-read student. I understand the scientific method and how to evaluate studies, statistics, case reports and journal articles. The prevailing public sentiment has been that vaccines (or their preservatives) caused autism. After studying all the research, I concluded (and still maintain) that vaccines are unlikely to be a cause of autism, which undoubtedly has a strong genetic component. Therefore, our kids have always received all the basic school immunizations. However, Gardasil is very new, already has thousands of injury reports and many deaths (from the CDC website: 18,354 adverse reactions and 61 deaths), the symptoms of which describe [her] almost word for word. All you have to do is Google it and see for yourself what is out there and what BIG PHARMA is trying to silence, much as they recently did with VIOXX for several years before it was finally recalled for causing stroke/heart attack. Gardasil is worth $billions/year to Merck and their advertising campaign to sell this vaccine has been very aggressive.

This is from one report:

"Since Gardasil’s introduction in 2006, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has received more than 15,000 reports of adverse side effects related to Gardasil. These reports include serious adverse side effects including Guilliane Barre, lupus, seizures, paralysis, blood clots, brain inflammation and many others. There also have been 44 reported deaths as a result of Gardasil uses.

Then, on October 25, 2009, Dr. Diane Harper, lead researcher in the development of two human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines and director of the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Research Group at the University of Missouri, told an audience of medical professionals that Gardasil is largely unnecessary, and that it has never been fully tested on females under the age of 15. This, despite strong marketing efforts to make the drug mandatory for girls, and product literature and advertising that state the product can be used by girls as young as age 9."

Please go the this blog and read about some of the hundreds of young women that have suffered just like [our daughter]. This is the first time we have found anything that so closely fits her bizarre condition. The whole scenario makes us sick and we cannot sleep, much less do anything else. We will get to the bottom of this and find some way to help her. Please hope and pray for her recovery.

http://truthaboutgardasil.org/injuries/

Here is another recent article. There are many reports and articles about the potential damage from Gardasil, just search for them.

Please tell everyone you know about this so they can decide whether or not to expose their daughters to these risks from Gardasil. Our question, why should anyone receive this if the injury/death rate from the vaccine is similar to that of cervical cancer itself, a cancer that can be detected with routine pap smears? Had we known anything about this a few years ago, we would have never subjected our daughters to those risks."

*names have been removedthis is some scary stuff. i pray for this family and this bright young girl and her family, and i hope you will do the same.

March 28, 2011

i think i would have enjoyed this monday more if it hadn't snowed, again. come on.

awkward:

today, i dropped an avocado that i was about to cut up and eat. i apologized. i think it felt better.

a couple months ago, my roommate and i were creepin on this couple through our kitchen window. we waited 20 minutes for him to kiss her. we cheered, then we went to bed. if you decide to have your moment outside our kitchen window, beware, we will creep on you.

i always seem to get my hair caught on the seatbelt or the car door. it happens at least once a week, without fail.

the awkward moment of standing off to the side and smiling awkwardly while your friend talks to someone you don't know.

March 25, 2011

8 years ago today, my brother left this world. he left his disease behind and i know he is now walking and serving our Lord on the other side. though he may not be physically here, we all feel him close. he is continually involved in our lives and sends special people our way when we need it most. we love you and miss you, brandon.

March 23, 2011

you guys. there is something living in our room that keeps biting my hands. for the past week i have been waking up to 2-3 new bites on my fingers. they start out looking like a wart (which i probably get one wart every year or so), then they get red and swell to the size of a pea. this has got to stop. so i sent a lovely little email to our management company so they could kindly fix this little problem. after emailing this picture, we set up for the bug man to come on friday.

gross gross gross. i gag every time i look at my hands. don't worry friends, there are twelve more where that came from.

now, how about something aesthetically pleasing with a quote? and a good song? here you go.

March 18, 2011

come on. is this what they're calling 'music' these days? what kind of person came up with these lyrics?

'Kickin’ in the front seat

Sittin’ in the back seat

Gotta make my mind up

Which seat can I take?'

sheesh, you poor girl. you are now the joke of the month. tomorrow is saturday, sunday comes afterwards...

here is some real music for you. you know, the good kind. now, purge yourself of that last awful video and song, and listen to this one. i love the music video for this song. doesn't it make you long for summer?

March 17, 2011

throughout the years, i have been lucky to have a family who takes me traveling with them. and i could not love it more. i've been thinking back on the places i've been, and i realized i have seen 3 wonders of the world! (photo credit to myself, thank you... besides that last one)

1. the pyramids of giza

2. the leaning tower of pisa

3. the colosseum

and this summer, i will be seeing a fourth one!

stonehenge!

man, i am one lucky kid.

and here's some harry potter wisdom for you. you know you love it.

i'm seriously loving this song. what beautiful lyrics:

'true love will find you in the end'

"This is a promise with a catchOnly if you're looking will it find youCause true love is searching tooBut how can it recognize youUnless you step out into the light?"

March 13, 2011

"The important thing is not to be bitter over life's disappointments. Learn to let go of the past, and recognize that everyday won't be sunny. And when you find yourself lost in the darkness and despair, remember it's only in the black of night you can see the stars, and those stars will lead you back home. So don't be afraid to make mistakes, to stumble, to fall, cause most of the time the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Maybe you'll get everything you wish for... Maybe you'll get more than you ever could have imagined... Who knows where life will take you. The road is long and in the end, the journey is the destination." -one tree hill quote.

March 8, 2011

alright, it's time for a little confession session. beware, followers, this may start happening at least once a month.

1. i'm having a craving to ride a beach cruiser...by the beach. in a skirt and sandals (a skirt, really? has anyone ever done that? maybe it's just spring fever).
2. i saw the preview for disney's prom and now i'm dying to see it. and this movie, also by disney. doesn't it make you want to cry?
3. cinnamon toast crunch. i have a major problem with this cereal. you know the family size box? i can go through that in a week tops. a week, my friends. i'm gross.
4. i still want to see 'never say never'. i don't know what it is about justin bieber that makes me want to hug him and kiss his little cheeks. but i want to.
5. i have a secret talent... i know how to find/keep good (ahem, great) friends. seriously. they know when i need hugs, diet coke, chunky monkey, and chocolate. i love them dearly.
6. why do i love weddings/wedding blogs so much? i seriously think i was a wedding planner in a previous life. love weddings too? check out these lovelies. here, here, and here. ooh, and here. and there's more where that came from. (and i am definitely not hinting at anything, friends. believe me).
7. i really wish that i had time to take some photography classes. i would love to learn how to properly use my SLR camera and learn how to work photoshop.
8. i'm still obsessing over the student section flash mob. i know, it's getting annoying. mentioning it three posts in a row...seriously?
9. i can't wait for london. i'm seriously busting at the seams with excitement. what am i most excited for? drinking tea in little china cups. then i will say, i'm drinking tea in london!
10. i love pedicures. but when they get that little foot scrubber out.... man. i am a squirmy, giggly child. i wish i wasn't so ticklish.

March 6, 2011

i was a participant of the flash mob that went down today at the marriott center. coolest thing ever, people. we practiced before the game and performed during the last five minutes of the game. most everyone was doing the dance, so it made it extra cool. take a look:

we even got a standing ovation from pres. samuelson (among others). hopefully some better videos come out soon so you can all partake in the awesomeness.

March 5, 2011

yeah jimmer, i feel the same way. today, my cougs took the mountain west conference title. *insert fist pumping here*. it was also senior day, meaning it was the last home game our precious seniors would be playing. sad. we played a great game against wyoming and said goodbye to logan magnusson, jackson emery, and the super awesome jimmer fredette. we will miss you guys.

also, the lone peak knights won state against our rivals, the american fork cavemen. 'we are the knights and we are the best and we DID conquer!'